Says words besides mama dada
Typical Timing & Development Window
Visual Timeline & Milestone Benchmarks
What these numbers mean
The average age babies first begin showing early signs of this skill. Before this, it's simply too early — there's nothing to worry about.
The midpoint age: half of babies have reached this milestone by here, half a little later. It's a typical target, not a deadline.
How spread out the timing is. About two-thirds of babies achieve it within one standard deviation of the median (the shaded band, wk 55–65). Wide bands mean a normal range of variation.
A gentle check-in point. If your baby hasn't shown this by around here, it can be worth mentioning to your pediatrician — most often it's still perfectly fine, just later.
About this milestone
The toddler says one or two clear words besides 'mama' or 'dada' to name objects, people, or requests. This milestone marks the formal beginning of expressive spoken language. It demonstrates that the child understands that spoken words have consistent, symbolic meanings.
- 1. Read simple picture books daily, pointing to objects and pausing to let the toddler attempt to say the word.
- 2. Build on the toddler's single-word attempts (If they say 'ba', say 'Yes, that's a big, blue ball!').
- 3. Sing repetitive nursery rhymes and pause before the final word of a line, encouraging them to fill it in.
- 1. Avoid comparing your child's early vocabulary size to others, as long as they are meeting milestones within the typical age window.